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Yesterday was the announcement of the winners of the very first Philippine National Children's Book Awards (NCBA). The awards are for the very best children's and young adult books published in the Philippines (2008-2009). There are no categories and no rankings for the NCBA. And the NCBA does not only evaluate the text of the nominated books. Illustrations, book design, and even the materials used in printing and binding the books are evaluated when choosing the "best reads" for young people in the Philippines!

I was a judge for the awards (yes, this is me revealing my sooper sekrit project!) and I am very proud to now share with you the six winners of the first NCBA. Below are the winners' covers and the judges' comments on the books.

Araw sa Palengke (Market Day)Written by May Tobias-PapaIllustrated by Isabel RoxasAdarna, 2008(In Filipino, with English translations)

"Listen well," her mother tells her. "Hold on to me tightly, ha? So you won…